Most Popular Twins Names in the United States, 201

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Twins. - Britta Kuhnen, Stock Xchange

Finding a name for one baby can be a challenge, but what about two at once? Should you find a pair of names that “match” in some way, with common sounds or themes? Or should you look for names that are completely different and emphasize individuality?

Need some help? A good starting place is the Social Security Baby Name Index. The SSBNI publishes the top 1000 baby boy and baby girl names every year—and it publishes a list of the top twins’ names for girl-girl, boy-boy, and girl-boy twins.

Top Girl-Girl Twin names in 2010

Expecting a set of little girls? The SSBNI Index publishes the top 50 most common choices made for girl-girl twins in 2010. Here are the 20 most common choices:

Ella, EmmaOlivia, SophiaGabriella, IsabellaFaith, HopeAva, EmmaIsabella, SophiaMadison, MorganAva, EllaAva, OliviaMackenzie, MadisonAbigail, IsabellaAbigail, EmmaHailey, HannahMakayla, MakenzieAddison, AveryElizabeth, EmilyAva, MiaHeaven, NevaehAbigail, EmilyEmma, Olivia

As you can see, most of the names on this list are simply pairs of the names that are most common for girls right now—like Isabella, Olivia, Ella, Emma, Emily, Abigail, Mia, Ava, and Madison. Parents seem to pair up common names that are of similar length (Emma and Ella, Mia and Ava) and that have the same number of syllables (Abigail and Emily, Gabriella and Isabella).

Of course, a common twin naming trend is to give twins the same first initial. That’s reflected in the Top 20 list here with Ella and Emma, Madison and Morgan, Addison and Avery, Elizabeth and Emily, and Hailey and Hannah. Other first name-same pairs in the Top 50 include Chloe and Claire (#22), Kayla and Kylie (#44), Paige and Payton (#48), and Valentina and Valeria (#50).

The 1950s style rhyming trend seems to be out; the only rhyming pair that made it to the top 50 is Chloe and Zoe, at #29. Themes aren’t big either, with the exception of Faith and Hope (#3), London and Paris (#21), and the newly trendy Nevaeh and Heaven (#16). Nevaeh, if you haven’t heard, is “heaven” spelled backwards.

Top Boy-Boy Twin names in 2010

The SSBI also publishes a list of the top 50 choices for boy-boy twins. Here are the top 20 choices.

Jacob, JoshuaEthan, EvanJayden, JordanDaniel, DavidMatthew, MichaelLandon, LoganElijah, IsaiahJacob, JosephJayden, JaylenIsaac, IsaiahCaleb, JoshuaAndrew, MichaelJames, JohnAlexander, NicholasJeremiah, JosiahJoseph, JoshuaNathan, NicholasJonathan, JoshuaLogan, LucasEthan, Nathan

There's a big difference between the top female twin names and the top male names: by far, the majority of top boy-boy pairs have the same first letter. In the top 10, all but one of the top choices (Elijah and Isaiah) were frst letter pairs, and in the top 50, 30 of the top pairs had the same letter. More unusal same letter male pairs include Brandon and Bryan (#30), Santiago and Sebastian (#44), and Carter and Cooper (#48). As for the rhyming trend, the only example in the top 50 for boys is Jayden and Kayden at #35.

Top Girl-Boy Twin Names in 2010

Looking for a pair of names for one little girl and one little boy? Here are the top 20 choices from 2010.

Madison, MasonEmma, EthanTaylor, TylerMadison, MichaelJayda, JaydenMadison, MatthewSophia, SamuelAddison, AidenOlivia, OwenZoe, ZacharyAddison, JacksonAva, AidenEmily, EthanEmma, RyanIsabella, IsaacNatalie, NathanAbigail, BenjaminEmma, AndrewIsabella, IsaiahJada and Jaden

The same letter trend was also very common for boy-girl twins. In fact, all 10 of the top 10 pairs began with the same letter, and 29 of the top 50 names shared the same letter.

Another popular boy-girl twin naming trend is to give twins male-female versions of the same names -- or names that sound like male-female versions of the same names. In the top 20, the examples of this were Taylor and Tyler, Jayda and Jayden, and (similarly) Jada and Jaden. Other examples in the top 50 include Brian and Brianna (#21), Michael and Michelle (#27), Oliver and Olivia (# 41), and Jayla and Jaylen (#49).

If you're tasked with finding two names for new babies, hopefully these popular choices will give you a good starting place. Whether you go with popular trends or seek something more unique, best of luck.